AP Psych Zero: Which Nervous System Is Doing That?
You're cooking, and the backs of your fingers brush the edge of a hot pan. Your hand is already pulling away before you feel anything like a decision to pull it.
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AP Psych Zero: Which Nervous System Is Doing That?
This episode continues Unit 1, Biological Bases of Behavior, with its second topic: which parts of your nervous system carry a message, which parts answer it, and which of them run without asking you.
What you will learn
- What the central nervous system covers, and what the peripheral nervous system does with it.
- How the peripheral system splits by control into the somatic and autonomic systems.
- How the autonomic system splits again into the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions, and what each one does to the body.
- Why the endocrine system is a separate system, and why the framework keeps it out of this topic.
- A scenario you can sort with two questions, plus a short retrieval check.
Learning map
| Part of the system | Its job | Voluntary or involuntary | A clear example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central nervous system | The brain and the spinal cord; the coordinating headquarters that interacts with all the body's processes | Runs the whole show | The brain and the spinal cord together |
| Somatic nervous system (peripheral) | Carries movement commands out to the muscles | Voluntary | Deciding to raise your hand |
| Autonomic nervous system — sympathetic (peripheral) | Mobilises the body toward action | Involuntary | A racing heart before a speech |
| Autonomic nervous system — parasympathetic (peripheral) | Calms the body and restores it | Involuntary | The heart slowing down afterward |
The worked example is a single scenario followed through three moments: Maya's heart pounds and her digestion slows before a speech (sympathetic), her body settles once it is over (parasympathetic), and she raises her hand on purpose to answer a question (somatic).
Study check
Answer these without replaying the final minutes:
- What two structures make up the central nervous system, and what is its main job?
- What question separates the somatic nervous system from the autonomic nervous system?
- Before a test, a person's heart speeds up and digestion slows. Which division is active, and could the person have chosen it?
- Which division calms the body back down and lets digestion resume?
- Which part of the nervous system carries the instruction to raise your hand?
The habit to carry out of this episode: ask where the signal sits (central or peripheral), then who is in charge (somatic or autonomic), then which way the body is being pushed (sympathetic or parasympathetic).
Scope and sources
The College Board's Course and Exam Description divides the nervous system by function. It defines the central nervous system as the brain and the spinal cord, which interact with all the processes in the body. It defines the peripheral nervous system as relaying messages from the central nervous system to the rest of the body, and places the autonomic and somatic nervous systems inside it: the somatic nervous system governs processes that are voluntary, while the autonomic nervous system governs processes that are involuntary and contains the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. 1
The same document keeps specific information about the glands of the endocrine system outside the scope of the exam, and places the hormones the course does cover in a later topic alongside the neuron, so the two messaging systems are worth keeping apart while you study this one. The AP Psychology course page is the course's public entry point and describes the science practices the course is built around. 2
This episode is a study aid. Use your teacher's current materials and the current College Board framework for course-specific assignments and exam details.
References
- 1AP Psychology Course and Exam Description — College Board
apcentral.collegeboard.org
- 2AP Psychology Course — AP Central, College Board
apcentral.collegeboard.org
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